Dassault Rafale - Updates and Discussion

Ashwin said:
No, I'm asking in general. Did things like jammers and decoys come to the French version?
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This is an area where we have our own doctrines. For example, I don't think we've retained the towed decoys that you asked for. Instead, active decoys are ejected or SPECTRA is used to send a signal to passive decoys that have been ejected so that they reflect a signature from the Rafale. And for F5 we are developing collaborative jamming to simulate complex and coherent waveforms. Towed decoys limit the Rafale's manoeuvrability.
 
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Rajput Lion said:
How authentic is this?
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I think it's based on geometry alone assuming the same material.

This one is also interesting. Shows how hexaferrite can reduce RCS at VHF and UHF frequencies. Given that such technologies exist, the B-21 should have a clear pass to target.;)

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Le Rafale porté au standard F4.1 a désormais « acquis sa pleine capacité opérationnelle »

The Rafale upgraded to the F4.1 standard has now "achieved full operational capability".
BY LAURENT LAGNEAU - 24 FEBRUARY 2024

In March 2023, the Centre d'expertise aérienne militaire [CEAM], based at Mont-de-Marsan, announced that it had just received its first Rafale fighter-bomber upgraded to the F4.1 standard and that the Escadre de chasse et d'expérimentation 1/30 "Côte d'Argent" would be putting it through its paces without delay.

Then, at the end of a campaign of tests carried out in particular in the fields of electronic warfare and armament, which mobilised the DGA Flight Test, DGA Information Management, DGA Aeronautical Techniques and DGA Missile Test centres of expertise, the French Defence Procurement Agency [DGA] announced that it had just declared the qualification of this new version of the Rafale. But it was not adopted by the French Air Force until August.

"Signed by the AAE's deputy head of plans and programmes, the adoption is a regulatory framework that enables the armed forces to fly a new aircraft standard, qualified in advance by the DGA, while certain equipment still has to be tested. This decision provides an opportunity for aircrew to begin training on the new functionalities offered by the new standard, while optimising the use of resources", explained the Ministry of Defence at the time.

More specifically, this decision was a first milestone towards the Rafale F4.1's entry into operational service [MSO]. However, we will still have to wait for this to become a reality.

Nevertheless, on 23 February, the AAE indicated that the Rafale F4.1 had just been "deployed for the first time in support of operational continuity at Mont-de-Marsan Air Base 118".

He added: "For several months now, this new-generation Rafale has been used by the forces for training missions. It has now acquired its full operational capability [PCO], enabling it to carry out operational missions such as the Sky Police".

As a reminder, among other things, the Rafale F4 has "enhanced data exchange capabilities" and improved protection against cyber threats. It includes the integration of the SCORPION helmet-mounted sight [supplied by Thales], improved fire control to make the most of the potential of the Meteor air-to-air missile [which can be "managed" by an aircraft other than the gunner], an improved Protection and Avoidance System for Rafale Fire Control Conduits [SPECTRA] and an even more powerful RBE-2 active antenna radar [AESA].

But these new functionalities will be integrated into the Rafale incrementally.

"In qualitative terms, the delivery standard for the 2024-2030 military programming law will be the Rafale F4, broken down into three sub-standards [F4.1, F4.2 and F4.3]," explained General Stéphane Mille at a parliamentary hearing. He went on to explain that the "incremental advances will include the following: the helmet-mounted sight, an initial connectivity brick, improved survivability, the integration of upgraded weapons and improved availability".

Operational service will not be declared until "all the latest capabilities and equipment associated with the standard have been fully integrated", explained the AAE.
 
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Dassault Aviation atteindra fin 2024 une cadence de production de trois Rafale par mois

Dassault Aviation to increase production rate to three Rafales per month by the end of 2024

The French aircraft manufacturer, which presented its 2023 results on Wednesday morning, will increase its production rate from two to three Rafales per month by the end of this year. According to Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier, his company can scale up to a production rate of four Rafales per month.

Following a surge in orders for the Rafale (18 in 2024, 60 in 2023 and 92 in 2022), Dassault Aviation has set about increasing the production rate of the French fighter jet. "We're moving from a production rate of almost less than one in 2020, when it became really critical, to a rate of 3. Today, we are at rate 2", explained Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier in December at a meeting with the Association of Defence Journalists (AJD). The aircraft manufacturer will reach a production rate of three Rafales per month "by the end of 2024", according to the head of Dassault Aviation, who will also take over the management of Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault (GIMD) in January 2025. That's 33 combat aircraft a year. This does not mean that Dassault Aviation will deliver 33 Rafales in a single year.

Capable of a production rate of 4

This ramp-up in production of the Rafale is taking place at a time when the aeronautical subcontracting chain is experiencing deep and recurring difficulties. The Rafale is also affected by these problems. "We are seeing some delays in Rafale deliveries, but they are not at the same level as Falcon deliveries", said Eric Trappier. As a general rule, Dassault Aviation needs about a year to gain one point in throughput, but with the difficulties of the production line "a little longer", he added. And to manufacture a Rafale - from primary parts to delivery - takes the manufacturer around 36 months.

The manufacturer considers that the rate of three Rafales per month is compatible with the contracts signed, including the order ratified at the end of December by the French Ministry of Defence (42 aircraft), while obtaining some additional export contracts. Finally, Dassault Aviation says it is capable of moving up to a rate of four Rafales a month, provided it wins new orders from India and Saudi Arabia. Eric Trappier assured us that the Mérignac plant is capable of sustaining such a production rate.

211 Rafales in the order book

Despite a slowdown in commercial results in 2023, Dassault Aviation has had a very good year. It was hard for it to do as well in 2023 as it did in 2022. In total, Dassault Aviation added 60 Rafales to its order book in 2023 (compared with 92 in 2022). However, the Rafale order book peaked at the end of 2023 at 211 aircraft (141 for export, including 80 for the United Arab Emirates, and 70 for France), compared with 164 Rafales at the end of 2022.
 
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The following examples demonstrate the Rafale's lead in terms of reliability, accessibility and maintainability:
  • More than twenty years' experience with the Mirage 2000 has demonstrated the benefits of integrated testing of the navigation and weapons system (SNA). It was therefore decided on the Rafale to extend this principle to all the aircraft's systems. Thanks to the precision of the diagnoses they provide, integrated tests make it possible to carry out highly targeted replacements on the runway, right down to the level of electronic cards and specific components.
  • In-depth ergonomic studies have been carried out with the help of CATIA to ensure that the components in the aircraft's holds are easily accessible, so that the mechanic can carry out maintenance operations on the ground alone. These studies have helped to reduce the risk of execution errors and the duration of these operations.
  • A centralised weapons safety system eliminates all the operations involved in the traditional removal of safety pins at the end of the runway. It undeniably reduces the risk of accidents and errors in the use of weapons, and gives unbeatable rearming times, speeding up rotations during operations.
  • The use of CATIA results in highly accurate mechanical assemblies, which can then be used to replace the gun, HUD or radar without the need for lengthy alignment sessions.
  • For example, if the M88 engine is removed, there is no longer any need to check it on an engine test bench before reassembling it on the aircraft. This is a significant innovation brought about by the M88: in just one hour the engine is changed and the aircraft can take off again.
To ensure maximum autonomy during its operational deployments, the Rafale only needs a minimum of ground equipment:
  • Thanks to an internal oxygen production system (OBOGS - On Board Oxygen Generation System), no external supply of liquid oxygen is required, eliminating the need for associated ground production and transport equipment.
  • Optronic equipment is cooled with nitrogen in a closed circuit, eliminating the need for a nitrogen refuelling logistics chain.
  • Its auxiliary power unit (APU) enables it to start up autonomously, without a park unit.
  • All service equipment is sufficiently compact (and possibly foldable) to be air-transportable. They do not require an external power supply. Until now, two types of trolley have been sufficient for installing and removing weapons. From now on, the Sefiam 1602e will suffice for all the carrying requirements and interfaces. What's more, it's battery-powered, which means it can be positioned more precisely, with fewer personnel.
These maintainability features have been validated right from the aircraft development phase by support specialists from the French Air Force and Navy, and have proved their reliability in combat during various operations. This simplicity of maintenance means that Rafale technicians can be trained quickly: in just a few weeks, aircraft support and Rafale conversion training can be organised for export customers, giving them the autonomy of action they need until their aircraft are deployed.

Thanks to its excellent reliability, the Rafale has considerably reduced maintenance costs.
  • Its original maintenance concept means that less scheduled maintenance is required, with fewer man-hours and a smaller number of mechanics.
  • The Rafale does not need to leave its operational base for maintenance. Unlike other types of fighter aircraft, the Rafale's airframe and engines no longer have to undergo long and costly periodic major maintenance visits.
  • While the fleet leaders now exceed 4,500 flight hours, not a single structural part has been changed, validating the robustness of the airframe and the maintenance concept.
  • With its 21 modules, the architecture of the M88 engine is perfectly representative of this maintenance philosophy: engine overhauls and repairs are carried out exclusively by sending modules or spare parts back to the central workshop or to the manufacturer. No fixed points or balancing are required before the engine is put back into service.
  • Removal, at a very early stage in the design of the Rafale, of certain components likely to reduce reliability: airbrakes
  • moving parts of the air inlets, constant speed drives (CSD) for the alternators, extension and retraction mechanism for the refuelling boom,
This has led to a significant reduction in requirements in terms of spare parts, maintenance hours and ground resources.
 
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